Don't be fooled. NOTHING is what it seems.
~*Epilogue*~ Squall View
"Maybe we should pull over." Yuffie suggested, eyeing the storm with apprehension. It was raining in sheets, making it impossible to see. My grip on the steering wheel tightened.
"Where? We're miles away from the nearest gas station." I grumbled, leaning forward slightly. The windshield wipers were on high, but I still couldn't make out anything.
"On the side of the road maybe?" A voice suggested from the backseat. I glanced at Selphie in the rearview mirror.
"I don't trust this wind. Its hard enough as it is to even steer." I slowed down a little. This storm showed no signs of stopping.
"Squall look out!" Yuffie shrieked. I braked hard and jerked the wheel to the right. I felt the tires grasping for traction on the slippery road. Someone began screaming.
With a sudden jolt we were flipping end over end. The last thing I remember was everything becoming still. I was aware of someone sobbing quietly and then a small voice, "Squall? Selphie? Did you see it?"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*The next day~*~*~*~*~ Kairi View
"For God sakes turn the music DOWN!" I yelled. Sora continued 'head banging' to Smile Empty Soul.
~*~ Stand there with your ball and chain Bitch about what you created All caught up in the masquerade ~*~
I hated that song anyway. "CLOUD!" I turned my attention to the older spiky haired blonde. He glanced at me, and then turned the music down.
Sora stopped thrashing. "HEY!" He protested loudly. "I liked that song." I rolled my eyes and looked back out the window.
The clouds cast a gray, drab feeling over everything. Last night's storm had left the long, lone stretch of highway littered with tree branches, leaves, dirt and other debris.
"That storm was something wasn't it?" Sora stated quietly, subdued now that the music was off.
Aerith shook her head. "I wouldn't be surprised if there had been a tornado or two. Looks like it." She added, nodding to a mangled mess of trash.
No. It wasn't trash. It was an upturned car.
"PULL OVER!" I shrieked. Cloud nearly lost control of the car.
"Damn it Kairi!" He yelled, screeching to a stop. He spun around in his seat to figure out the problem when he saw it too. "Holy shit."
I unlocked my door and got out, eyeing the mess with apprehension. If there was anyone in the car, I didn't want to see him or her now. Sora walked up next to me, scratching his head.
"Damn."
I cautiously approached the car. "Hello? Is anyone okay?" I began to ask. I heard a small answer, barely even audible.
"Help."
"Sora someone's alive!" I whispered. Aerith was digging the trunk, looking for something. Cloud walked in a wide circle around the wreck.
A head appeared from behind the car. A young woman. She looked a little older than me, with short black hair and blue eyes. She had blood running down the side of her face and a black eye. From the look of the wreck she made it out easy.
She limped out from behind the car, where she'd apparently got shelter from the unforgiving storm. Her ankle was visibly swollen.
"Oh honey, are you okay?" Aerith appeared next to her with an old blanket she'd apparently found in the car. She wrapped it around the shivering girl's shoulders.
"Did anyone else...make it?" Sora asked her gently, tactfully finding the words. The girl looked at me. Her eyes met mine, and I could see her eyes well up.
"I don't think so." She whispered before dissolving into tears. Aerith tsked and led her to our car, helping her into the backseat.
Cloud and Sora exchanged looks that I couldn't read. "Kairi maybe you should look away." Cloud suggested carefully. I knew what those looks meant now.
I shook my head forcefully. "No. I'll help." I said firmly. Sora didn't look happy but didn't object.
I leaned down next to the shattered window on the passenger side and looked in. There was no one in that seat, but there was a man on the driver's side. He looked relatively in tact, except for a few cuts and bruises. I reached over and touched the side of his face. Freezing.
He was dead. I shuddered. I saw Cloud at the other window, looking at him, then at me. He grimaced slightly, and then shot me an apologetic glance.
I looked in the back seat. It was a girl, obviously. Her shirt was shredded, and she was bare-chested. She was covered in blood in various places. I brought my eyes to her face. She had a large shard of glass cut clear from the back of her head to the forehead, her mouth open in a frozen scream. At least her eyes were closed.
I jerked away from the horrible scene, the stench of blood and death just reaching my nostrils, causing me to gag. Sora helped me up, pale. He'd obviously seen the two also.
I had just enough strength to look at the black haired girl. As our eyes met, I knew she knew. We both broke into tears.
The ride was silent. Me watching the quickly darkening sky. It was going to storm again. I looked over at the girl, Yuffie. She was staring blankly out the window, tears pouring. She looked as numb as I felt. I didn't understand why I was so affected by this but I was.
Maybe because I'd never seen death firsthand before. Whatever it was, I didn't like it.
"It's going to storm again." Cloud observed. As if to cement this, it began to rain. Yuffie whimpered audibly.
"Lets find somewhere to stop and fast." Sora said. I could tell he was trying to be calm, but I could still see panic in his eyes. I understood. I felt the same way.
"What about that?" I said suddenly, surprising myself. There was a large, dark house in the distance. Aerith inhaled sharply.
"That doesn't look too inviting." She said. I knew what she meant. The house was a typical horror movie house. Foreboding, old, and big.
"Maybe not, but that's better than ending up like." Sora stopped, looking down. Yuffie didn't appear to be listening.
"Besides, she needs help. She's obviously tired, hungry, dehydrated-"
"Okay okay! We're stopping." Cloud said, pulling into the long, dirt driveway.
For some reason I didn't feel too relieved.
~*~*~*~*~
I'm worried that I lost readers in the middle. I'll go ahead and tell you now, Selphie is dead. But another certain someone is not. I sure hope people like this. It's going to seem a little AU but it will get better. I hope.
R-R-Review!
~*Epilogue*~ Squall View
"Maybe we should pull over." Yuffie suggested, eyeing the storm with apprehension. It was raining in sheets, making it impossible to see. My grip on the steering wheel tightened.
"Where? We're miles away from the nearest gas station." I grumbled, leaning forward slightly. The windshield wipers were on high, but I still couldn't make out anything.
"On the side of the road maybe?" A voice suggested from the backseat. I glanced at Selphie in the rearview mirror.
"I don't trust this wind. Its hard enough as it is to even steer." I slowed down a little. This storm showed no signs of stopping.
"Squall look out!" Yuffie shrieked. I braked hard and jerked the wheel to the right. I felt the tires grasping for traction on the slippery road. Someone began screaming.
With a sudden jolt we were flipping end over end. The last thing I remember was everything becoming still. I was aware of someone sobbing quietly and then a small voice, "Squall? Selphie? Did you see it?"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*The next day~*~*~*~*~ Kairi View
"For God sakes turn the music DOWN!" I yelled. Sora continued 'head banging' to Smile Empty Soul.
~*~ Stand there with your ball and chain Bitch about what you created All caught up in the masquerade ~*~
I hated that song anyway. "CLOUD!" I turned my attention to the older spiky haired blonde. He glanced at me, and then turned the music down.
Sora stopped thrashing. "HEY!" He protested loudly. "I liked that song." I rolled my eyes and looked back out the window.
The clouds cast a gray, drab feeling over everything. Last night's storm had left the long, lone stretch of highway littered with tree branches, leaves, dirt and other debris.
"That storm was something wasn't it?" Sora stated quietly, subdued now that the music was off.
Aerith shook her head. "I wouldn't be surprised if there had been a tornado or two. Looks like it." She added, nodding to a mangled mess of trash.
No. It wasn't trash. It was an upturned car.
"PULL OVER!" I shrieked. Cloud nearly lost control of the car.
"Damn it Kairi!" He yelled, screeching to a stop. He spun around in his seat to figure out the problem when he saw it too. "Holy shit."
I unlocked my door and got out, eyeing the mess with apprehension. If there was anyone in the car, I didn't want to see him or her now. Sora walked up next to me, scratching his head.
"Damn."
I cautiously approached the car. "Hello? Is anyone okay?" I began to ask. I heard a small answer, barely even audible.
"Help."
"Sora someone's alive!" I whispered. Aerith was digging the trunk, looking for something. Cloud walked in a wide circle around the wreck.
A head appeared from behind the car. A young woman. She looked a little older than me, with short black hair and blue eyes. She had blood running down the side of her face and a black eye. From the look of the wreck she made it out easy.
She limped out from behind the car, where she'd apparently got shelter from the unforgiving storm. Her ankle was visibly swollen.
"Oh honey, are you okay?" Aerith appeared next to her with an old blanket she'd apparently found in the car. She wrapped it around the shivering girl's shoulders.
"Did anyone else...make it?" Sora asked her gently, tactfully finding the words. The girl looked at me. Her eyes met mine, and I could see her eyes well up.
"I don't think so." She whispered before dissolving into tears. Aerith tsked and led her to our car, helping her into the backseat.
Cloud and Sora exchanged looks that I couldn't read. "Kairi maybe you should look away." Cloud suggested carefully. I knew what those looks meant now.
I shook my head forcefully. "No. I'll help." I said firmly. Sora didn't look happy but didn't object.
I leaned down next to the shattered window on the passenger side and looked in. There was no one in that seat, but there was a man on the driver's side. He looked relatively in tact, except for a few cuts and bruises. I reached over and touched the side of his face. Freezing.
He was dead. I shuddered. I saw Cloud at the other window, looking at him, then at me. He grimaced slightly, and then shot me an apologetic glance.
I looked in the back seat. It was a girl, obviously. Her shirt was shredded, and she was bare-chested. She was covered in blood in various places. I brought my eyes to her face. She had a large shard of glass cut clear from the back of her head to the forehead, her mouth open in a frozen scream. At least her eyes were closed.
I jerked away from the horrible scene, the stench of blood and death just reaching my nostrils, causing me to gag. Sora helped me up, pale. He'd obviously seen the two also.
I had just enough strength to look at the black haired girl. As our eyes met, I knew she knew. We both broke into tears.
The ride was silent. Me watching the quickly darkening sky. It was going to storm again. I looked over at the girl, Yuffie. She was staring blankly out the window, tears pouring. She looked as numb as I felt. I didn't understand why I was so affected by this but I was.
Maybe because I'd never seen death firsthand before. Whatever it was, I didn't like it.
"It's going to storm again." Cloud observed. As if to cement this, it began to rain. Yuffie whimpered audibly.
"Lets find somewhere to stop and fast." Sora said. I could tell he was trying to be calm, but I could still see panic in his eyes. I understood. I felt the same way.
"What about that?" I said suddenly, surprising myself. There was a large, dark house in the distance. Aerith inhaled sharply.
"That doesn't look too inviting." She said. I knew what she meant. The house was a typical horror movie house. Foreboding, old, and big.
"Maybe not, but that's better than ending up like." Sora stopped, looking down. Yuffie didn't appear to be listening.
"Besides, she needs help. She's obviously tired, hungry, dehydrated-"
"Okay okay! We're stopping." Cloud said, pulling into the long, dirt driveway.
For some reason I didn't feel too relieved.
~*~*~*~*~
I'm worried that I lost readers in the middle. I'll go ahead and tell you now, Selphie is dead. But another certain someone is not. I sure hope people like this. It's going to seem a little AU but it will get better. I hope.
R-R-Review!